5 ways the Genesis G70 can beat the German 3 (and 2 ways it can’t)

The new Genesis G70 sports sedan has a lot going for it, but pedigree is still an issue

September 26, 2017

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The all-new compact Genesis G70 sedan won’t go on sale in North America for at least six months, and we already like it. It’s got the look, even if that look is cluttered by some gratuitous adornment, and it has presence beyond its history. It speaks to us in a fashion few Korean-bred automobiles have.

That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone around here would buy a G70 or choose it first among its expansive list of competitors.

Let’s face it: The automotive subset of compact, luxury-branded sport sedans is crazy competitive, with 10 or so really interesting cars screaming for attention. There’s the minimalist chic of the Volvo S60, the rougher-hewn, emotionally throaty Infiniti Q50 and the hot-blooded, damn-the-torpedoes Alfa Romeo Giulia. One is not necessarily better than the others, in certain subjective analyses, and each speaks in a different way.

Then there’s the German 3, which have long dominated the category, ranking one (BMW 3-Series), two (Mercedes C-Class) and five (Audi A4/S4) in U.S. compact-lux sedan sales for 2016. The A4 has been substantially updated for 2018, which should move it back toward its familiar third-place spot. The 3-Series more or less invented the class. It’s been the benchmark since time immemorial, and even if over the last 10 or 15 years its beating heart has been buried deeper under buttons, knobs and electronic sorcery, there still beats within the 3-Series the heart of a true sports sedan.

So no, not everyone around here would buy the Genesis G70, but we assure you plenty of people out there will -- and for good reasons. Here are five ways the G70 can beat the German 3 and a couple more reasons it can’t.

1. More Power!

The G70’s base engine will be Hyundai’s Theta II 2.0-liter, GDI turbo four. It should be rated at 255 horsepower, 260 pound feet of torque. That’s 40 percent more hp and 30 percent more torque than the four-cylinder in the 320i, and a few more hp than the A4 and C300 (252 and 241 respectively, though these Germans have a slight edge in torque). Genesis also expects to offer the G70 four with a manual transmission.

The G70’s upgrade engine is the Lambda II 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 launched in the first Genesis sedans. The six will generate 365 hp, 376 lb-ft, again beating the 340i’s six by a significant 35 hp and 46 lb-ft. The G70 V6 also beats the Audi S4 (354 hp, 369 lb-ft). You have to get to Mercedes’ AMG-branded C43 to beat the G70’s 3.3, and even then only by eight lb-ft; plus, you’ll dig a whole lot deeper in your pockets to get there.

Most G70s will come with an eight-speed automatic, which is pretty much the class standard these days (the Benzes get a nine-speed). And if we believe the manufacturers’ reported acceleration times, the G70 will be near or at the top of the pecking order. The problem at this point is that the Germans are reporting their times as 0-60 mph, while Genesis is reporting to the international standard of 0-100 kmh. Those last 2.13 mph can make a significant difference in the total elapsed time. You make the call:

Audi S4, 0-60 mph, 4.4 sec

Mercedes-AMG C43, 0-60 mph, 4.6 sec

Genesis G70, 0-62.13 mph, 4.7

BMW 340i, 0-60 mph 4.8 sec

2. Richer interior (and maybe better)

The quality of the G70’s base leather upholstery is better than most of the cars in this class, and the napa upgrade (it’s model-specific) is much better than that. The leather extends over most of the door panels, too. The seats are excellent, and there are also lots of cost-intensive details that look more familiar a luxury class or two above this -- things like piping, double-stitching, aluminum door releases, metal speaker grilles and substantial, knurled aluminum knobs. The aluminum trim is high-grade, but it’s the only choice. If you have a fetish for wood grain, genuine or otherwise, forget this one.

The switches are presented properly, all of them feel solid, and the overall operator interface is not overly complicated. In the normal course of business, you’ll rarely reach for the G70’s screen or mouse. It’s probably easier to learn than those in the German 3. The inclination after an initial test drive is to say the G70 has better overall NVH as well, but we’re not ready to go that far. Roads are generally better in Korea, and the cars for that market are generally tuned more softly.

3. Lower Price

This one is a bit risky because Genesis is still five or six months from pricing the G70 for the United States. Yet the risk applies to how much less the G70 will be. We report with near certainty that it will cost less than any A4, C-Class or 3 Series.

That observation is based on two things: First, the sales execs at Genesis fully appreciate the idea that, to get shoppers in this category to look seriously at a G70 over the German 3 -- or a Jaguar XE or Cadillac ATS, for that matter -- they’ll have to get attention with an attractive price. Second, we can look at Genesis’ existing sedans for guidance. The intermediate G80 lists for 23 percent less than the least expensive Mercedes E-Class and at least $9,000 less than either of the other two German luxury midsize sedans. The big Genesis G90 starts 23 percent lower than Mercedes S-Class, $15,000 less than a BMW 7 Series, and so on.

You probably shouldn’t expect that kind of a price edge -- 20 percent or more -- for the G70. Margins on compact lux/sport sedans are smaller to begin with. But it’s not crazy to think 10 to 15 percent less or, depending on the model (engine, rear-drive, AWD), $3,000 to $5,000. Or more.

And that’s where this gets interesting -- if the G70 looks attractive against its compact competition, how will it look against smaller cars like the A3, CLA and 2 Series for the same and maybe even a bit less money?

4. And everything comes at that price

Standard equipment on U.S.-spec G70s has yet to be determined, but we know that almost everything Genesis will offer in features will come on all cars. Model differences will be limited mostly to engine, drive configuration, wheel size and leather upgrade.

In other words, the savings built into G70 MSRPs, relative to the German 3, will be only the beginning. Equip the Germans with everything that comes standard on all G70s, but not on all 3 Series, A4s or C-Classes, and the price difference could be dramatic.

5. Better warranty

The basic warranties from the German 3 are essentially the same: four years or 50,000 miles for comprehensive coverage and powertrain. BMW still adds its Ultimate Care package, which covers scheduled maintenance for three years. Audi pays for your first scheduled maintenance visit at 12 months or 10,000 miles, and Mercedes will sell you three years of maintenance in advance for $1,000, give or take a bit, depending on which C-Class you buy.

Genesis extends the G70’s comprehensive coverage to five years, and that’s just starters. It extends the powertrain warranty to 10 years or 100,000 miles, and it adds telematics services for free through the five-year period. That includes concierge services, traffic and satellite data, satellite radio and software updates.

Genesis also pays for all maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles, but it does BMW one better by adding valet service. You call the dealer, and the dealer comes for your car -- with a loaner, as necessary -- then returns it when the service is finished. Genesis will save time and money.

All good, yes? Yes, but there remain at least a few ways that the G70 cannot beat the German 3 and won’t be able to for some time. And we’re not talking about brake-pedal feel or the subtleties of transient dynamics. Here are two obvious examples:

1. No factory-tuned hot rod

The G70 V6 is “not a high-performance car,” by the definition of former BMW M chief engineer Albert Biermann, who’s now in charge of performance development at Genesis. While it beats standard variants of comparable German 3 sport sedans, and even some upgrades, the G70 offers nothing like a full-on BMW M car or a Mercedes C63 AMG (or even an Infiniti Q50 Red Sport), and there won’t be any such Genesis for years, if ever. Biermann promises a G70 Dynamic Edition by the U.S. launch this spring, but enhancements will be limited to more aggressive suspension tuning, stickier Pilot Sport PS2 rubber and track-suitable brake pads. There won’t be a horsepower boost.

A full-blown hot rod matters, and not only to those who actually buy them. The person who stretches to get into a C300 might not seriously think about a C63 and probably can’t reasonably afford one. Yet she might choose the C300 because the C63 exists -- because her car could be a C63 and because the C63 in some fashion validates her choice.

2. About that lack of history….

It isn’t clear that anyone can actually drive heritage to work, dinner or through the decreasing-radius bend that is your favorite freeway off-ramp. Yet a lack of widely known heritage remains a serious challenge for a start-up luxury brand like Genesis. In practical terms, luxury brand buyers expect, and to some extent pay for, better-than-ordinary resale values. For Genesis, resale values are a prognosis rather than a track record. In emotional terms, for many buyers and particularly for car folk, pride in heritage matters.

You could drive your 330i to Cars and Coffee and remind everyone that a BMW with a similar name was one of only two not-Italian marques to win the original Mille Miglia. You might listen to the girl in the C300 talking about Mercedes wins at Le Mans in the 1950s, or the guy in the A4 talking about Auto Union grand prix cars and speed-record setters in the 1930s.

Or you could drive your G70 and tell everyone your car was built in Korea, by a bunch of well-educated engineers working their butts off in consult with some former Euro-brand heavyweights, to beat the pants off that heritage-infused 330i. And, oh, by the way: In some very important ways, they’ve done it.